


No Holds Barred

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 04:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9964181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: Dick’s anger was becoming a problem, and it seemed everyone but him knew it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a whole heap o’ garbage. It was just a thought I had about Dick’s anger (I love me some angry protective dickie) and it passed some time on this lazy Sunday. Tim and Damian knew what the conversation was gonna because when Bruce came back he was all guns blazin’ PISSED and demanding to know where Dick was. I dunno. This a thing. Second shitty fic in two days holla for actual weekends off~

It had been one of those kinds of nights. The nights they all hated, where they come home battered and bruised and feel like they didn’t make much of a difference at all.

What was worse, tonight’s criminals had cornered and threatened Tim and Damian. Beat them up a little before Batman or anyone else could get to them. Were going to hold them for ransom, or kill them or something.

Dick, of course, put a stop to that just as soon as he could.

And nothing left him with a lasting rage more than his family being threatened. So as soon as Tim and Damian were safe and being ushered home, and the bad guys dealt with, he stormed off. Finished his patrol and then went back to the cave to clean up and cool down.

Tim and Damian were still in the cave themselves, getting fixed up by Alfred. Jointly telling Alfred about the night, and even joking with each other, just a little.

Situations like this always seemed to bring out the bright spots of all of their otherwise strange relationships.

Dick didn’t bother them. Gave a wave when Alfred looked up, but otherwise kept to himself, and hit the showers.

Even under the relaxing stream of hot water, Dick could still feel the fury coursing through his veins. How dare they. How _dare_ they even _look_ at his brothers, at _his family_ , with the idea of hurting them. How dare they touch Tim, how dare they purposefully leave marks on Damian’s skin.

He balled his hand into a fist, and punched the tiles in front of him. It didn’t break, but it cracked.

He tried to calm himself down, though. No need for said family to see him like this. Besides, at this point he was just tired. Patrol was done, all he needed was maybe a cold beer, a bad movie and a comfy couch. He’d promised Tim to watch that new animated flick, maybe tonight was the night, and Damian and Alfred would join them. That’d make him feel better.

When he emerged from the showers, he heard Tim and Damian laughing. But the second the youngest of them saw him, his smile fell, and he looked nervous. Damian bit his lip slightly as he glanced over the computers, where Bruce now sat, having returned from his own patrol. He then glanced up at Tim, who had also quieted now.

“How are you guys feeling?” Dick asked anyway.

“Great.” Tim answered for them both. “You?”

“Better now, that you guys are home safe.” Dick smiled. “You guys going to hit the hay, or you want to watch a-”

Bruce’s voice suddenly rang out: “Dick.”

Dick looked lazily over at him. “What?”

There was a moment of silence, as Bruce turned his chair, and stared at his eldest. His eyes looked angry, disappointed, and the tension between them could have been cut with a knife.

Suddenly, in his periphery, he heard Tim moving, hopping down from the gurney, helping Damian do the same and pushing him towards the stairs. “Come on, Damian. Let’s go…let’s go make some hot chocolate…”

Dick remained staring at Bruce, but Bruce’s eyes moved, watched the boys scramble up the stairs. Only looked back to Dick when the manor door was slammed shut.

“We need to talk.”

“About?” Dick asked. “Is there a case you need help on?”

“No.” Bruce grumbled. “We need to talk about tonight.”

“…What about it?”

“You were entirely too rough. The force you used was completely unnecessary.” Bruce growled.

“What…to save Tim and Damian?” Dick gasped with an incredulous laugh. “Excuse me if I _respectfully_ disagree.”

“You almost _killed_ two men, Dick.” Bruce hissed.

“Yeah, and it would have been worth it if I did.” Dick countered, feeling his rage build once more. “Or are you saying there’s a _limit_ to what you’d do to save your sons’ lives?!”

“No, I’m not saying that. You know I’m not. There’s a time and a place for that kind of force, _potentially_ , and tonight was not it.” Bruce returned, standing. “But I’m going to need you to calm down, Dick. Reign it in. Right now.”

“You want me to calm down, after you just told me I shouldn’t be so forceful when I’m trying to _save_ my family?!”

“No. I don’t just mean this moment. I mean in general. You’ve been getting angry a lot more often lately. And I don’t like it.” Bruce explained tensely. “And that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Sure I’m angry. Because there’s more criminals than ever, and they all keep thinking it’s okay to threaten my family – threaten _you_ guys. And I’m sick of it.” Dick snapped, crossing his arms. “I’ve lost enough family. I’ve lost enough siblings because of this stupid life. So excuse me for trying to do something about it, angry or too forceful or not.”

Bruce stared at him for a moment, then closed his eyes and sighed. Turned his head away. “…Dick if you don’t calm down, I’m not going to let you see them.”

“…What?”

“If you can’t get… _whatever this is_ under control,” Bruce repeated, keeping his gaze down. “Then, I’m sorry, Dick, but you leave me no choice. I won’t allow you to see Tim and Damian anymore.”

“Bruce.” Dick hissed, stomping forward. “Bruce, don’t you _dare_ -”

“When you’re angry, you’re dangerous, Dick!” Bruce shouted back, holding his ground even as Dick got into his face. “And that’s not something I’m going to expose them to, especially not from _you_.”

“I do this _for_ them. _Because_ of them.” Dick yelled. “I will not let you-”

“And what are you going to do, when you’re in one of these rages again, and they jump in your way?” Bruce cut off. “What if you hit _them_ with the force you hit those criminals tonight? You’d never be able to live with yourself.”

“That’d never happen.” Dick said lowly. “That would _never_ happen.”

“You don’t know that.” Bruce whispered. “And better safe than sorry.”

“Exactly. That’s why I do what I do, Bruce. If better safe than sorry for them means I have to kill the bastards?” Dick backed up. “Fine. I’ll do it. I don’t care. For Tim and Damian. For Jason, Cass, Barb, _you_. I will.”

“I know that, Dick. No one knows that more than me.” Bruce tried calmly. “That’s why I’m telling you this. Because I love you, and I’m worried for you. And because that’s an outcome _no one_ here wants for you. Not even Jason or Damian.”

“Sure, use the two who have killed people before as examples, of course.” Dick drawled. “I won’t let you, Bruce. You can’t take my siblings away from me.”

“And I’m not. I’m just warning you.” Bruce promised. “If you continue down this path, I’ll have no choice but to do that. For their own protection, and yours.”

“Thanks but no thanks. I don’t need it and I don’t _want_ it.” Dick snapped. Without warning, he spun around, stomping towards the stairs.

“Dick-”

“I’m done. I don’t want to hear any more.” He threw his hands over his head. “I’m going to go see my brothers, make sure they’re okay, and pretend you didn’t just spew that _garbage_ at me.”

Bruce didn’t respond, but Dick heard him sigh just as he reached the manor door and wrenched it open.

Whatever.

He heard the television in the parlor, and moved in that direction. But before he could reach it, Tim came limping out of the room.

“Dick?” Tim asked softly, and Dick immediately heard the couch inside the parlor shift as someone jumped off of it. “Are you…everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Dick smiled tiredly, enveloping Tim in his arms as soon as he was close enough. “Everything’s fine.”

“What did he say?” Damian demanded as he popped into the hallway too. “If he said something to upset you, Grayson, I will go-”

“Everything’s fine.” Dick repeated, reeling Damian into a hug as well, holding both his baby brothers as tightly as he could. They both grunted in a bit of discomfort, but neither pulled away. Just let themselves be held. “…You know I love you guys, right?”

Both boys seemed to freeze.

“More than anything.” Dick whispered. “And I’d _do_ anything to keep you safe.”

He felt Tim and Damian shift in his arms, to look at each other. After a moment, Damian sighed, and leaned into him, just as Tim wrapped his arms around Dick too.

“Yeah.” Damian responded wearily. Worriedly. Clearly the two already knew what he and Bruce’s conversation was about. And it brought some comfort, knowing they were most concerned about him, not Bruce. “Don’t worry. We know, Grayson.”


End file.
